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Representing the 35th District of Texas

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“Instead of a wall, build a bridge of opportunity”

July 27, 2017

Washington, D.C.— Today, U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Ranking Democrat on the House Ways & Means Tax Policy Subcommittee spoke on the House Floor today in support of the immigrant community and against Rep. John Carter’s amendment to the Republicans’ so-called “Security Minibus” Appropriations bill, which would begin funding the Trump border wall. Rep. Doggett said:

“For our Nation of immigrants, a wall rejects our very history. A wall is not about America leading the world, a wall is about trying to shut off the rest of the world. Ignored today, of course, is the history of how poorly walls have worked to stop desperate people. Most all of those who are coming to America, risking their lives, suffocating in the back of a truck, going over a perilous desert -- they’re not here to cause us harm. They’re not here to do wrong and mooch off our social services. They’re here to escape violence or provide a little hope to their family. And they do it by taking the dirtiest, toughest jobs in our society, as immigrants have done since the very founding of our nation. A wall only makes their path more perilous without offering us more security.

“Last year, Trump’s most famous and oft-repeated claim was building a wall that Mexico would pay for. But this year, we just have one broken Trump campaign promise after another. Today, we have confirmation that Trump is just putting taxpayers on the hook to pay for another section of a wall. A wall of broken campaign promises. Instead of a wall, we ought to be building opportunity. Building a Trump boondoggle in the desert at the same time he says we can’t afford medical research, or educational opportunity, or job training, just shows how backward his priorities are. Let’s oppose a wall of ignorance, a wall of prejudice, and create a bridge of opportunity. To achieve both true security and economic growth, we need to reject this narrow-minded approach in favor of comprehensive immigration reform.”